BE DEVOTED TO COMMUNITY

The first Christians were devoted to Christian community. (Acts 2:42) They were committed to the fellowship. The Greek word for “fellowship” is “koinonia.” It means “intimate sharing and participating in one another’s lives.” Not only were these people committed to the teaching of the apostles, they were committed to one another! They loved each other! They enjoyed meeting and investing in one another’s lives. They served each other, ministering to one another and taking care of each other.

We can see several ways in which they did this. They met each other’s physical needs. If a need arose in the community they would find a way to meet that need even if they had to sell some of their own possessions to do it! They shared their lives and they shared their possessions! They demonstrated their fellowship by opening their homes to one another. They ate meals with each other. It says they gathered each night with glad hearts! Put simply, they just liked being together and sharing their lives together. And in these gatherings they demonstrated their fellowship by ministering to one another. They exercised their spiritual gifts as they participated in one another’s lives. Isn’t it interesting? They had no books on spiritual gifts. They had taken no surveys on spiritual gifts. Ministry to each other just came naturally as they shared life together!

Community is another thing we have lost. As our personal lives become more and more privatized so also have our lives in the church become privatized. We have made an effort to develop a greater sense of community through small groups. We have discussed the sermons together, shared our thoughts together, and tried to begin sharing life together. This is something we really need to do more if we are going to be the kind of church God wants us to be. It is too easy for us to gather for worship on Sunday mornings and then return home and be out of touch for an entire week. We need to learn to share our lives with one another, to enjoy each other, to minister to each other. Christianity was never meant to be lived privately. How can we exercise our spiritual gifts to the benefit of others if we don’t get to know them well enough to recognize their needs? How can we minister to each other if we are not spending time together? We were created to reflect the character of God. God the Father lives in intimate community with the Son and the Holy Spirit. When we live in intimate community we glorify God by reflecting his character!